Iowa
Supreme Court Guardianship and Conservatorship Reform Task Force seeks input,
suggestions
The Iowa Supreme Court
Guardianship and Conservatorship Reform Task Force Steering Committee is
actively seeking input from the bench and bar regarding issues and problems
with the existing guardianship and conservatorship system and suggestions for improving the system. Any interested
organization, agency or person may submit a written statement and request to
present oral testimony.
According to the Iowa
Supreme Court, there are currently 22,000 open guardianship and conservatorship
cases. As the number of cases continues to grow, there is increasing recognition of the need for reform at the state and
national levels.
The Iowa Supreme Court, like state courts across the country, is playing a leadership role in addressing guardianship and conservatorship challenges. The Guardianship and
Conservatorship Reform is charged with the review of Iowa’s
guardianship and conservatorship laws and procedures in order to ensure the
system is efficient and responsive to the needs of Iowans.
Those interested in
providing input to the Guardianship and Conservatorship Reform Task Force or
learning more can view the request for input here. The
deadline for submission of written testimony and to request the opportunity to
present oral testimony is no later than the close of business Sept. 14.
Individuals may contact Professor Josephine Gittler, member of the Task Force
Steering Committee and co-coordinator via email at josephine-gittler@uiowa.edu.
Special edition of Iowa Lawyer Magazine available online now
The second special
edition of the Iowa Lawyer Magazine is now available online. Members who elect
to receive the Iowa Lawyer in print should expect their copy of the magazine
through the U.S. Postal Service in the next few days. This issue focuses on the
2015 ISBA Annual Meeting.
Members interested in
viewing the online version of the magazine can do so by clicking here or by navigating to www.iowabar.org clicking on "Publications,” then "Iowa Lawyer Magazine.”
Those who no longer wish to receive the printed version of the magazine can
elect to receive it electronically by navigating to their account settings and
selecting "yes” for the "Iowa Lawyer Magazine Online” option.
The Iowa Lawyer is free
online or in print to ISBA members as part of their annual dues. The magazine
informs members on issues, events and developments in the law specific to Iowa
that impact their practices and their lives as attorneys. Questions
regarding the Iowa Lawyer Magazine can be directed to the ISBA Communications
Department at communications@iowabar.org or 515-697-7898.
Supreme
Court seeks comment on proposed updates to Iowa Rules of Professional Conduct
The
Iowa Supreme Court seeks public comment on proposed amendments to the Iowa Rules
of Professional Conduct, chapter 32 of the Iowa Court Rules. The court requests
public comment on specific proposed amendments to chapter 32 of the Iowa Court
Rules that incorporate updates from the model rules. The deadline for
submitting comments is no later than Oct. 6.
The
ABA changed the model rules after the Iowa Supreme Court’s last revision of the
Iowa Rules of Professional Conduct, chapter 32 of the Iowa Court Rules, 10
years ago. The objective of the proposed amendments is to maintain the high
ethical standards required of attorneys practicing in Iowa and create
uniformity with the American Bar Association’s Model Rules of Professional
Conduct.
Those interested in
providing public comments or learning more can view the order here or visit the Iowa Judicial Branch website, navigating to "About the Courts,” then
clicking on "Supreme Court.” From the left navigation, click "Orders.”
Public comments may be emailed to rules.comments@iowacourts.gov or mailed to the clerk of the Supreme Court. Those providing
comments should review the order for formatting specifications.
ISBA past president spends 16-plus hours finishing fourth ironman competition
Past President Bob Waterman and his
two sons, David (28) and Michael (26), recently finished the 2015 Ironman
competition in Lake Placid, New York, on July 26. It was Bob’s fourth ironman
competition, and David’s and Michael’s first.
An ironman
competition consists of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bicycle ride and a
26.2-mile run. Bob, a partner at Lane and Waterman in Davenport, Iowa, finished
the event in 16 hours, 25 minutes. David, who was admitted to the Iowa Bar in
2013 and currently clerks for Judge Michael Melloy on the Eighth
Circuit Court of Appeals, completed
the competition in 12 hours, 26 minutes. And Michael, who works in the oil and
gas industry in New York City, completed it in 13 hours.
"It was a long
day for Dad!” Bob reports.
The elder
Waterman, who served as ISBA president from 2011-2012, finished his first
ironman event in 2001, also in Lake Placid, New York, along with his brothers
Tom and Jim and sister Julie. Since then, he has competed in ironman events in Kona,
Hawaii (2002) and Panama City, Fla., (2005). The only reason he
decided to do another ironman was "because my sons David and Michael urged me
to sign up with them. They wanted to return to where it began for me 14 years
earlier,” he says.
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In Other News ...
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Volunteers
needed for local projects Iowa Legal Aid is
looking to recruit and train volunteer attorneys from around the state in the
event of a disaster. Volunteers must be currently able to practice law in the
State of Iowa. Volunteers must be age 18 and older. Waterloo Cedar
Falls Courier
Journalists receive court summons nearly a year after reporting in Ferguson A year after he was
in Ferguson, Mo., a reporter at The Washington Post has been ordered to appear
in court. Wesley Lowery, who covered the 2014 demonstrations in Ferguson, was
detained in a McDonald's while reporting. He's now been charged in St. Louis
County with trespassing and interfering with a police officer and ordered to
appear in court. Iowa Public Radio
Why
girls charged in Slender Man stabbing at age 12 will be tried as adults Two girls accused of
stabbing a friend at age 12 to please the fictional Slender Man character will
be tried as adults after a judge upheld a Wisconsin law governing the issue.
Judge Michael Bohren of Waukesha County ruled on Monday that the adult court
would protect the public longer than juvenile court, which would release the
girls into the community at age 18 with no supervision, report the Associated
Press, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Waukesha Now. ABA Journal
Drug courts: Costly up front, money-saving in the long run The drug court model came to Iowa in 1996, when the first court was set up in Polk County. Then in 2000, then-Governor Tom Vilsack called for more courts to be started across the state, and they were often launched with federal grant money. Since 2001, more than 1100 offenders have graduated from adult drug courts across Iowa. They’ve turned out to be very popular among prosecutors, judges, and community leaders. Yet despite this, these courts have experienced sluggish legislative funding and are now in jeopardy. Iowa Public Radio
HHS
and DOJ issue technical assistance for child welfare systems under the
Americans with Disabilities Act and section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act The Department of
Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) today
issued joint technical assistance to state and local child welfare agencies and
courts on the requirements of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act
(ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. The technical assistance
released today is part of a new partnership between HHS and DOJ to help child
welfare agencies protect the welfare of children and ensure compliance with
nondiscrimination laws. U.S. Dept. of
Health and Human Services UI
art colony helps spread the good news of Grant Wood Although
"American Gothic" remains Grant Wood's best-known painting, the
artist's largest and most time-consuming masterpiece just might be the Iowa
City home he lived in and extensively restored toward the end of his life. And
through the recent long-term leasing of a group of four houses bordering the
19th-century, brick, Italianate-style home at 1142 E. Court St., the University
of Iowa and the Iowa Board of Regents are moving forward with the Grant Wood Art Colony in
Iowa City — and thus strengthening their connection to one of the most famous
UI faculty members of all time. Press-Citizen, Iowa City
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The Iowa Lawyer Weekly is an electronic newsletter published every Wednesday. Please submit comments, letters to the editor, articles, or photos, to communications@iowabar.org. Contact information should be included with submissions. The ISBA reserves the right to refuse any submission, but will take all submissions into consideration for future publication.
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